The third Donkey Konga 3 game adds a range of new songs, including references to classic NES games such as Sky Kid, Balloon Fight, and Super Mario Bros 3 (Japanese version). The game is designed to be played with the DK Bongos input device. To succeed, you must hit one drum, both drums, or clap when the cursor passes the corresponding circle on the screen to match the rhythm. As you hit the beats, the corner in the top-right corner of the screen will fill up. In the story mode, you need to reach a certain mark to progress. Reaching the top mark is rewarded with a gold medal and victory music.
A new character has been added to the game, Funky Kong, who hosts several game modes and appears in mini-games. The amount of small games has been limited to Rhythm Banana and Trial Mode. You can play solo runs, duets with the computer or another player, and even quartets with different difficulty levels. Coins can be exchanged for new music at the shopping mall.